Deadwood: Comparing The Lead Characters And Their Real World Counterparts
9. "Wild" Bill Hickok
James Butler "Wild Bill'' Hickok is one of the most legendary figures of the Old West (not just Deadwood), as such the producers of HBO's "Deadwood" didn't have to embellish much about this mythical man in their depiction. Prior to his arrival in Deadwood in 1876, Hickok had been an Army scout, a law man, a gunfighter, Pony Express rider, a showman, and rode "shotgun" on various stagecoach lines (which included an incident where he killed an attacking bear with only his knife).
The series portrays Bill as a newlywed looking to settle down, but it leaves out some details. Bill was married to an older woman who had relentlessly pursued him; about a month into their marriage Hickok shocked his bride with the news he was going to stake a claim in Dakota, promising to send for her and indicating that he may have not found settling down to his liking.
What is clear in both history and the show is that Hickok had a self-destructive penchant for gambling, drinking, and speaking his mind. These finally landed him in the ire of Jack McCall who shot Hickok in the back of the head at Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon on August 2, 1876, less than 2 months after coming to Deadwood. Hickok was holding pairs of Aces and Eights, as the story's told, which earned those cards the moniker "dead man's hand."